What's the best online place to get prescription glasses with progressive lenses?

Oct 5, 2012 8:43 PM

I'm way overdue for an eye exam and I know I'm going to need new glasses. The last time I got glasses with progressive lenses it was about $400 and that was WITH insurance. Has anyone gotten progressive lenses online and which is the best site? I've seen Coastal, Goggles4U and some others here. (and no I will not get bifocals of any kind).

Top Answers

Personally I order my prescription glasses from zennioptical.com. I just have a normal prescription (non-progressive) but their prices are reasonable. I got a pair of glass with photo-chromatic, and an oil-resistant coating for around $50.

Online glasses are a crap shoot at best, No one in China ( that's where your glasses are made) checks them when they are done. Who checks the Sphere, Cyl or Axis? If any of these are off, your vision is off and could give you major problems. I work in the Optical field, I deal with this everyday.

Progressive lenses.. who is measuring your seg hieght? No Dr Office or retail location will do that for you, because they need the ACTUAL frame there to make sure the center of your pupil is measured correctly.
On top of this, there are MANY types of prgressive lenses, some that are specific to your eyes. You may not be able to use plastic lenses, you may need Polycarb or Hi Index, it just depends on your RX. PLUS, if you go to a professional, they will make sure your glasses are correct before they give them to you.

Online is cheap, you get what you pay for, but I'm not gambling with my eyes

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Personally I order my prescription glasses from zennioptical.com. I just have a normal prescription (non-progressive) but their prices are reasonable. I got a pair of glass with photo-chromatic, and an oil-resistant coating for around $50.

Eyebuydirect has them at a decent price. I got regular perscription glasses from there. It took longer than I expected, I think around 6 weeks. I got an email that they were shipped within a few days of my order but it was not actually shipped until much later. The frames were thin and cheap but they worked fine. Overall I will order again. The price for two pair was less then $35 shipped. I did have a discount code to get that price.

@minkeygirl7: No, regular prescription lens. The progressives start around $50, I think. You choose a frame that will take progressives and then add the options you want. You can see all the price options to help you select what you want and how much it costs to add it. I use them as a second set. I know several people that order them because they lose them so often.

Good question, I have been wondering the same thing. My husband has a prescription burning a hole in his pocket, but he hates spending the $200+ for new glasses at the Dr's office. He didn't this time, but he also hasn't filled the prescription in over a year! So I've taken over, but as a non-glasses wearer I feel even further in the dark about things. I don't know anything about glasses to begin with. Thanks for all the responses - I feel as though I will be informed enough to order some for him now (after he goes back for his exam this year haha).

Online glasses are a crap shoot at best, No one in China ( that's where your glasses are made) checks them when they are done. Who checks the Sphere, Cyl or Axis? If any of these are off, your vision is off and could give you major problems. I work in the Optical field, I deal with this everyday.

Progressive lenses.. who is measuring your seg hieght? No Dr Office or retail location will do that for you, because they need the ACTUAL frame there to make sure the center of your pupil is measured correctly.
On top of this, there are MANY types of prgressive lenses, some that are specific to your eyes. You may not be able to use plastic lenses, you may need Polycarb or Hi Index, it just depends on your RX. PLUS, if you go to a professional, they will make sure your glasses are correct before they give them to you.

Online is cheap, you get what you pay for, but I'm not gambling with my eyes

I ordered a pair of progressives from Goggles4U, using a coupon code that was available at the time, for about $35 shipped. They are rimless, no-line bifocals without any added coatings. I've been wearing them daily for over 1 year now and they're holding up great.

However, you do have to do your own eye measurements, as @mkentosh noted. I was very lucky in that mine fit pretty much perfectly right out of the shipping envelope and I needed no adjustments, so I can't comment on their Customer Service Dept.

But, for me, $35 was well worth finding out whether or not I could get a decent pair of glasses online.

@jessiekaye: My plan was to get my RX and then have them take the measurements based on what I have now. I generally get the same basic size and style. I think you are right about being worth the $35 to give it a shot. How long did it take for you to get your glasses? I'm into immediate gratification which you can only get at Lens Crafters.

@minkeygirl7: Excellent! I received them in about 2 weeks, which I thought was pretty great, considering just about everything takes about 5 business days to ship these days. They may have offered some expedited shipping options for minimal additional fees, if I remember correctly. Still a bargain, in my opinion.

The best place to buy progressive online is definitely www.Visio-Rx.com. They have multiple tools on their website to help you take measurements of your face to ensure correct fitting. I highly recommend them.

@jessiekaye: I am thinking of just ordering frames online and then taking them to the optometrist of other outlet. In past Pearl tried to up sell me a different brand of lens for $900! And I've received glasses from a doctors office that were processed sideways! So, things can happen everywhere. Progressives are more difficult to fit b/c you need a larger frame to accommodate the changes.

You might want to consider LensFactory.com. LensFactory specializes in putting replacement lenses in your eyeglass frames. They offer single vision, bifocals and progressive lenses in clear and photochromic (the lenses that darken in the sun). The prices and quality are great, and the work is done in Louisville Kentucky.

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